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What is Art Journaling?

Art journaling means different things to different people – to me it’s like a visual diary. Each page is inspired by what I see, do, feel and hear. So it’s personal to me and allows me to express myself through visuals and words. It’s a fun way to record life events and memories.

Why Art Journal?

There are many reasons to Art Journal, it’s a place to get creative, experiment, put your ideas into practice and have lots of fun doing so!

I also find art journaling very therapeutic and rewarding , it helps me to breathe and makes me happy. A bit cliché – but so true, so there’s no better reason to do it!

How to Art Journal?

There are no rules to art journaling – anything goes. It doesn’t have to be complex, and could be as simple as writing down your thoughts and sketching in a book. If you are not great at drawing (like me) then that’s ok too, you can express yourself with other media e.g. pictures from magazines or stencils and stamps. This is where the term ‘Mixed Media’ comes from.

All you really need to start with is a piece of paper and your imagination. You may even find (like I did) that you have enough materials (scissors, glue, paper, pens, paints etc) to start straight away. My first Art Journal page (below) was created with cheap basic inks, a wallpaper sample (free) and a stamp which was free in a craft magazine. There’s nothing fancy about that, so why not give it a try?

What next?

Over time you will probably build up materials for use in your art journaling (your Craft Stash). Christmas and Birthdays are good opportunities to tick off items from your wish list. You’ll also find that many shops have suitable products such as decorative tape, stickers, rub-on transfers, tissue paper, card etc. which are often inexpensive.

What else?

Get creative and recycle – I have a whole box of recycled items in my Craft Stash and have used them for pages. These have included an old dictionary from my school days, sock packaging from my husband’s sport socks, dress making patterns, music sheets, old magazines (both the pictures and text), tissue paper/paper bags from presents I’ve been given, and leaflets/maps/tickets from tours, events and places I’ve been to. Once you get the hang of it, you will soon see the potential in many everyday items.

If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.